I Cried About The Marmite
by TheLaikynVictoria
Summary: A routine supplies run turns troublesome when a violent storm hits. Sam/Reader. One-shot.


This is dedicated to my good friend and fellow ZR fan, Heather! (Carrying-my-crosses on tumblr)

I did a do...and now I'm crying.

* * *

"Alright Five, this is a normal mission." Sam hands you your earpiece and you latch it on to your ear. "Just a supply run. It's a little too close to nightfall for my comfort, but we'll have to make do."

"We need the supplies." You shrug, turning your neck in circles and stretching your muscles out, preparing yourself. "And it's my job. So, just to the old department store, right?"

"Yeah, it's not too far," he tells you. "Just on the other side of the trees. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours."

"It shouldn't," you mumble, giving him a pointed glance, "but when do these things ever turn out like they're supposed to?"

"True." Sam shakes his head. "Just be careful, alright?"

You nod and head for the gates. After a few moments, Sam's voice is heard in the speakers,  
"raise the gates!"

The loud buzzing sound resounds throughout the small village and cover fire protects you from the few zombs in front of you. You inhale deeply before taking off at a mild jog.

"Okay, Five," Sam's voice comes through your earpiece. His voice is drawled out as it usually is, like he's only half paying attention to what he's saying because he's focused on something else. Though, you suppose it's because he is. He has to constantly monitor the screens and radars that will protect you from the zombs that could tear you apart. "There are only a few of 'em in front of you, about forty meters ahead of you. Should be easy to outrun them."

"Right'o, Sam." You say into the small speaker attached to the earpiece that allows you to talk to him. "Oh, I see them now. They're slow ones. Probably been turned awhile."

"Get past them," he says in your ear. His voice is tense now. It's only a few zombs, but he always acts like this when you get near them. Like he's scared to death something's going to happen, even if it's just one zombie. You wonder for a moment if he's like this with all of the Runners he coms for, or if it's just you…

The gurgling noise behind you snaps you out of your thoughts.

"Five, it's right on you!" Sam's yell pierces your ear, and you instinctively take off running. "What are you thinking, Runner Five?!"

"Sorry!" You say through puffs of breath. "I spaced for a bit there." You dare a glance behind you and see a confused zom standing where you once were.

"Stay alert, for God's sake." He sounds so worried. "You can't afford to just 'space out'."

You don't say anything and merely keep running. He's right. You shouldn't let myself do that. You can daydream all you want when you're nice and safe behind the gates of Abel where the threat of a zomb attack is minimal. You slow your pace as you realize there are no walkers around and conserve your energy.

"How am I looking, Sam?" You breathe out, evening your breath as you jog through the field south of Abel.

"It's looking good." His voice is drawled again. "There are some zombs behind you, but they're far enough away that I don't think they'll be a problem."

"None in front?" You ask.

"No…" He says. "Not that I can see. Keep an eye out, though."

The rest of the trip is relatively uneventful. You make it to the store with very few zombie encounters and make it inside. You click on the palm-sized torch you brought along and shine it in front of you. The store is kind of small, and a lot of stuff is already gone, but there's still quite a bit to scavenge.

"Anything in particular we need other than what we've already said?" You say softly into your mic.

"Uhm, not really," Sam tells you. "Just the basics-Oh!" He cuts himself off, as if he suddenly got an idea. "If you can find any, grab me some marmite. I'm running low."

"Jesus, Sam, you and that marmite," you laugh, turning the torch to the other side of the store. You bring your pack to the front, flipping it open and putting a few things in.  
After a few minutes of silence, a loud clap of thunder booms outside.

"Oh God, that scared me," you say, looking around, scared that the noise might have attracted some zombs. "I hate storms."

"Runner Five?" Sam's tense voice comes through your earpiece. "Five, can you hear me?"

"Sam?" You say, pausing in packing your bag and slumping your shoulders. This isn't good. "Sam, are you there?"

"Okay Five, it seems you either can't hear me, or you're not coming through," Sam says, his voice wavering. "I've lost power to my radar and cameras, so you're on your own."

Oh God…

"If you can hear me, just run," he continues. "Forget the supplies and run. Get out of there, and get home. A storm is coming and… Well, I don't need to tell you just how bad it would be if you get caught in it."  
You throw the things that you already had in your hands into your pack, and then close it, pulling the strap back around until the bag is on your back. You have to get out of there.

"I'm just gonna keep talking and hope you can hear me," his voice comes wafting into your ear again. He's quiet, but terrified. He doesn't have the radar or screens to watch.  
He has nothing, really, except the hope that you're listening and the belief in your abilities. "That thunder probably alerted a lot of zombs. Just hurry, Five."

"I'm coming Sam," you breathe out as you run out of the store, though he can't hear you. "I'm coming home, okay?"  
Nothing can be heard for a few minutes, just a sigh every now and then in your earpiece. He was right. The thunder did attract some zombies. There are at least fifteen of them shambling from around the building

"Oh, crap." You turn back around and keep running back toward Abel. You pray that the rain will hold off until you get back, but you have no such luck. Within minutes, it's pouring.

"The rain is heavy, Five," Sam says. "Really heavy." _Really? I hadn't noticed, Mr. Yao._

"God, I hope you're alright," he continues. "I can't lose you. I can't lose you, too."

Pain invades your heart, and you're pushed harder. You have to survive. If for no other person, for Sam. You're not sure if tears or rain is in your eyes, but either way, your vision is rapidly declining, and soon, everything is a muddled mess. You can barely make out dark figures moving about around you, and you know that they're zombs. You keep running, your shoes slipping through the now-muddy ground. At one point, you slide down a small incline, your knees colliding with the wet earth. You hear moaning and gurgling through the sound of the pounding rain and you force yourself back up. You lungs feel like they're on fire and your legs feel like gelatin, but you keep going. After running for quite a while, you realize that you can't see the towers that jut up behind Abel's walls. Then you realize that you must have veered off course, and you're suddenly very, very scared.

"Alice and me, we were…We were close." Sam is taking again. "I loved her, I'm pretty sure," he scoffs and continues, much more softly, so soft, you almost don't hear him,  
"what's with me and Runner Fives?"

"I don't know what to do, Sam!" You exclaim, jogging and straining to see through the rain. "I don't know where I am. I don't know… I don't know how to get home."

"We're waiting for you, Five." His voice cracks, and he clears his throat. "We're waiting for you to get home, but…A lot of people have given up hope."

"No." You nearly cry out, looking every which way, yearning to see that lone red light that tells you 'you're almost there'. "Please help me, Sam." Your begging is futile, though, of course. As you're jogging, your feet catch on some branches and you tumble to the ground. Apparently, you were at the top of a long hill, as you start rolling violently down the steep hillside. Sam's voice croons in your ear the whole way.

"I hope you can hear me," he says. "And I hope it's you, and not some mindless zombie. In which case, bad zombie." He admonishes gently, sadly.

"I s'pose I love you, Five," he says just as you land with a thud at the bottom. "I think I loved ya the moment I saw you run through our gates."

You don't know how to process what he's said as well as work up the energy to stand up. Your entire body is aching from the tumble, and you're pretty sure you've dislocated your shoulder or something, as pain radiates from your shoulder, down your arm. The exhaustion and pain suddenly overwhelms you, and nap sounds quite lovely all of a sudden. Just as your eyes start to slide closed, his voice is in your ear again,

"keep fighting, Five," you can tell there are tears in his eyes, "I need you. You're… You're all I have left."

As if that was all the push you needed, you rise to your feet and shake off the drowsiness and exhaustion, looking around. The rain has let up a little bit and you can see a little better. As you're looking, your eyes land on something in the distance. It's probably at least six kilos off, but it's there. That tall tower with the bright red light. Your heart soars as you take off toward it at a dead sprint. The aches and pains seem like they're hardly there as you run. Your aching shoulder and the cuts and bruises on your arms and legs are the furthest thing from your mind as you keep going. Just a little bit more.

"I believe in you, Five," Sam whispers, obviously barely believing his own words. Why should he? For all intents and purposes, you shouldn't survive. "I haven't lost hope. Come home, Five. Just come home."

The walls come into view as you run up the hill. The large gates that you exited a mere few hours earlier stand shadowed in the overcast, rainy sky. The coms tower is right next to the gates, so you hope dearly that Sam can hear you if you yell loud enough. Luckily, there aren't any zombies around, so you run up to the gates and start pounding your fists on the cold metal.

"Hello!" You scream. "Open up, it's me! It's Runner Five, open the gates! Please!"

"Oh my…" Sam's voice is distant, as if he's away from the microphone. A small click is heard in your earpiece, and you hear Sam on the other side of the wall.

"Raise the gates!" He screams. "For God's sake, raise the gates!"

Just as the large, metal doors get over your head, you run through, immediately colliding with Sam.

"Oh my God, Five." His arms wrap around you, one hand gripping your waist and the other entangled in your soaking hair. "I thought I lost you… I thought I lost you." He keeps repeating that in mumbles, his head resting on yours. Your arms are latched around him, your face in his chest.

"I love you too," you whisper. "I love you too, Sam Yao." He sighs, stopping his mantra to place a firm kiss on your forehead. You look up at him, your faces inches apart. And suddenly, it's like nothing else matters. The zombs, the rain, the people around you, the apocalypse. None of it means a darn thing as you stare into Sam's eyes. And then, you're kissing him. You don't know who kissed who, but you know that you never want to forget this feeling. The amazing feeling of being with the person that you're sure you love. You pull apart, his lips resting on your forehead.

"Oh." You pull away, inhaling shakily and reaching for your bag. You wince as your shoulder rotates.

"Are you okay?" He asks, his hands reaching out protectively.

"Yeah, I'm good." You nod. "I'll see Maxine in a minute, but first… Here. I found this for you." You pull the jar of marmite out of your pack and hand it to him and he laughs with a snort, tears filling his eyes.

"You're amazing, Five, you know that?" He asks. "Absolutely amazing."


End file.
